Whatever Zaz wants to talk about (and some things she doesn't want to talk about). Topics will include family, marriage, children, adoption, Haiti, work, art, bad driving habits of others and Flickr (not necessarily in that order). This may be your only chance to find out what is going on in Zaz's life since she is notoriously bad at correspondence and phone calling.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Just wanted to let you all know that the Consulate has our paperwork, but we're waiting to hear if they will need more paperwork to give us a visa appointment. Our homestudy technically expired (AGAIN) during all the hubbub, but we have our update in hand. It's just not in Haiti. And now we've got a hint that they will probably ask for a form from me claiming my income. It's a completely unnecessary form, but it seems like everyone has to attempt to keep my child away from me as long as possible. Yes, I've become paranoid now. ;)

We've got a lot of stuff happening for the next few days so I probably won't post again until some time in January. Our processor is going on a much needed vacation, but he seems to think that others can finish things up for us in his absence. If not, he'll be back on January 9th. That's less than two weeks. Can we wait that long? Hmm...maybe. ;)

So take a short break from checking this blog every day. I'm sure we won't have any more news until at least the 3rd or 4th as the first two days of the year are major holidays in Haiti (January 1st is Independence Day - great story - look it up!)

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

YAY!

I called U.S. Immigration this afternoon and we have been APPROVED!! Woo hoo!! They said our file would go to the Consular office in the morning. I'm waiting to hear what we do next, but I'm betting we need to make a visa appointment. January 1st is Haitian Independence Day so I doubt we could find tickets to go within the next week anyway, so we'll just wait to see what's next. I just wanted to let you all know what was going on as soon as I could get to a computer. :D

Friday, December 21, 2007

I just got through to Haiti and they DID get to see Janae's passport today. YAY!!! They told me I could call back on Wednesday (I believe the offices are closed Monday and Tuesday) so we won't know anything else until then.

I just got an email yesterday from the officer in charge of U.S. Immigration in Haiti and, by the sounds of it, they just need to see Janae's passport and they will finalize things!!!!! She has had a passport since October!!! Our Haitian processor will be taking Janae's passport over to Immigration first thing this morning. Not sure what time that is, though. :)

I was not terribly hopeful when I got up yesterday. From the looks of things, there wasn't a way out. Now there is some light! YAY God!! But we're not home yet, so keep praying please.

I'll let you all know when I hear something from someone so you'll know how to continue to pray.

~Zaz, who is trying to sit still and having a REALLY hard time with it

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Let's just say the news on Friday wasn't good. No official decision has been made yet. The officer in charge at U.S. Immigration has assured me that they are doing everything they can to keep from declaring our adoption null and void. If they do end up doing that, it would basically mean starting over. After two years, I don't really have the energy to seriously consider that possibility right now.

The perceived glitch in our paperwork is on the Haitian side of things and there will be another meeting this coming week with the Haitian official involved. I don't even know which day.

Let's just say now that Janae will not be home in time for Christmas. Let's just keep praying that she just eventually gets home. Please understand if we don't really feel like talking a whole lot about this at the moment. Thanks for your understanding.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

We still have no decision today. The Immigration people handling our file evidently met with legal counsel yesterday to discuss our case and the case of another family. There is a serious glitch on the Haitian side of our paperwork. No final decision was reached so they are meeting again on Thursday. We were told to call again on Friday morning.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Well, I still really don't know anything, but I'll give you all a synopsis of what has happened since last I posted.

We've called Haiti lots.

We were told that the officer in charge was ill.

We were told to call back tomorrow repeatedly.

When I was finally allowed to speak with someone about our case (not the officer in charge), she said that there was a problem with our file. Since our birth mom said initially that she would not sign and then came back a month later and did sign, they need to "seek legal counsel". Never mind that our birth mom hasn't parented this child in over 2 1/2 years. Never mind that we have legal custody of this child in Haiti. Never mind that we have loved Janae for over TWO YEARS. It doesn't matter.

We contacted Senator Coleman's office since his staff was very helpful when we were stuck in the mess that was our first Haitian adoption. I emailed the person in the office that helped my friend, Michelle, get her kids home. She responded right away. Hope they can help.

Last week when we asked for the officer in charge of Immigration by name, we almost got through. Then when they realized who we were, they said that he was out for the day. Yeah, right. "Call back next week."

So Bryan called this morning and was told to call back tomorrow for a "final answer". I'll be shocked if we get a "final answer" tomorrow. If it's positive, I'll be jumping up and down. If it's not positive, I won't let it be their "final answer". We will not rest until our daughter is sleeping in her own bed in Minnesota.

So, all this to say "PLEASE PRAY!" I will post again tomorrow, even if they don't answer the phone.

Monday, November 26, 2007

So by now you are probably thinking we should have our daughter home. Ummmm....no. Evidently the guy in charge of Immigration went on vacation (and we just found that out today). Last I heard he isn't back yet but is expected this week. He's been gone two weeks. Argh.

I will update the blog when I know something. I will update the blog when I know something. I will update the blog when I know something. I will update the blog when I know something...(she writes on the blackboard a hundred times)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The wait is finally almost over, friends! Our birth mom went to her appointment today and signed without hesitation! We are so unbelievably grateful to her. We can't wait to see her again when we get to Haiti. She is now forever a part of our family.

The officer in charge at Immigration wasn't in today so he didn't sign off on our file, but we were assured that everything should be fine. The last thing on our checklist is to get Janae her visa. We're hoping she can have that next week. Then we fly off to Haiti to hug the stuffing out of our new daughter.

I know that there are many people around the world praying for our "baby" girl and I want to thank all of you. Someday I'll be able to tell Janae about her fan club. There are people from Minnesota, Texas, Arizona, California, New York, New Jersey, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, South Dakota and a whole fleet of other states, but also lots of people in other countries (especially Australia), too, that have been praying for her. She is one blessed little girl.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

I've had a gentle reminder that I needed to update my blog. Thanks, J!

Okay, on Monday, I called and they gave us an appointment for Tuesday. I was beyond excited. Then Tuesday morning rolls around and we hear that our birth mom has a double eye infection and can't open her eyes. *sigh* I call Immigration again and, miracle of miracles, I got through on the first try (it's been averaging about 15 attempts per call). I told them our birth mom was sick and could I please get another appointment. So now we are waiting for November 14th at 11:30 am to come along. So please pray for Janae's birth mom to get better quickly. I think someone from the orphanage was planning to take her medicine. That would help.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Well, they got to the gate of Immigration and the guards said they were sorry but the offices were closed and we would have to call on Monday for another appointment. Oh well. We wait some more. We know how to do that. And at least she was there.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

YEA! One of our obstacles is covered. Our birth mom is IN Port-au-Prince. I know this because we had the opportunity to call her again today. We didn't have a long conversation since there was a lot of "I don't understand. I'm sorry." comments between the three of us. Then we had our Haitian processor call and talk to her. He said she will be at the appointment and seems genuinely happy with us. She just wanted to be sure we would continue to be in contact with her. I don't blame her a bit for that.

Turns out that the Immigration offices were closed on Monday and Tuesday because of flooding in Port-au-Prince. The offices will be closed again on Thursday and Friday for holidays. This is the only day. Seems interesting to me. And we pray that Immigration opens it's doors tomorrow morning. I'll be sitting by the phone. I'll try to report in as soon as I can.

Monday, October 29, 2007

And the drama continues...

In case you haven't heard, Tropical Storm Noel wandered across Haiti these past two days. He left in his wake a lot of water. In Haiti that means flooding and mud. Our birth mom is in the countryside last we heard. She needs to get to Port-au-Prince. Transportation will be awful for a while.

Also, we were unable to call her for the past two days like we told her we were planning on doing. I REALLY hope she isn't mad that we didn't reach her. We are calling her again at 3 pm Central on Tuesday to make sure she is okay.

So, please pray for our birth mom to make it to P-a-P tomorrow and that she is still happy to be working with us (that's a weird way to put it, but it's all my brain can come up with at 11 pm).

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Another hurdle may be covered! A friend of mine called Haiti with me on the line today and she talked to our birth mom. Okay, so we initially got cut off because our birth mom's phone discharged, but after numerous attempts, we managed to reach her. When we figured out that she didn't have a translator and my friend's Kreyol abilities were taxed, we went hunting for a translator in Haiti. This took another hour. We eventually had a weird situation. I was on the phone with my friend who was online in a chat with her friend in Haiti who was on the phone with our birth mom. She was sooooo happy that we called her. I could hear it in her voice, too. She said she WILL go to the appointment on Wednesday. YEA! I had two plane tickets on hold to leave on Monday, but now we can wait to go. I am SO thankful for that. We are going to call again tomorrow just to say "hi". We are sending photos Fed Ex to her as well. She won't receive them until Friday, but we told her they would be coming and she was really happy about that. At least from this side of things, we seem to be heading in a good direction.

Now we just have to pray that Wednesday goes well and that the U.S. Government will see fit to finish our paperwork and NOT require DNA testing (to prove that the birth mom is Janae's biological mother). It doesn't usually take them long to approve a file so we'll be waiting to see what happens after the situation with the last interview. We still haven't received the letter that they sent us (most likely denying our application). It would be great if we already had approval when the letter arrives. A girl can dream.

So now we pray for Wednesday. And now I can unpack and go to bed at a decent time.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Trying not to panic. It's hard.

I called U.S. Immigration in Haiti again today to try to set up another appointment for our birthmom. The woman on the phone said that there was a problem with our case and that we should be receiving a letter. I said that I knew that there was a problem. Our birth mom was afraid we wouldn't send her photos. I said that we would like her to be interviewed again. The woman said she didn't know what impact that would have on our case, but she set up an appointment on October 31st at 11 am.

I hung up the phone and it hit me like a ton of bricks. My own government may deny my adoption, because of things THEY said to our birthmom. Two years. Two years and then some of loving a little girl far, far away. For two years my son has been practicing being a big brother. For two years I've been thinking of my life with two kids. For two years, a woman in Haiti has gone to all her Haitian government interviews and signed all the paperwork to send her daughter to another family. Two years.

I'm calling out all my prayer warrior friends. We need you. Please pray. This would be a simple thing for Almighty God. We need Janae to be home with us.

Our birthmom has been out of town for a while, but will hopefully be returning to Port-au-Prince tomorrow. The orphanage is planning to bring her in and talk to her and show her the photo page I set up for her and the letter I sent. Please pray that she trusts us and believes what we tell her. It's all true and the letter came from my own heart. We'll hopefully hear something by Monday. I'll try to blog it here.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Sorry, I thought I updated this, and now I see that I did not. Argh.

Well, in order to try to avoid making two trips to Haiti, we sent the birth mom an email with a link to a photo page on the web of lots of Janae photos. It seems the birth mom was told by the U.S. people that she would never see her daughter again, never receive another photo and never have contact with her again. While she had been warned they would say such things, it seems it really made her want to talk to me again. Supposedly, they are going to bring her to the orphanage today to help her read what I have sent to her and hopefully let her ask her questions of me. I'll be checking my email a lot this evening. If we have to make two trips, we'll do that. I'd rather spend my money on my daughter, not on airfare. I'll try to let you all know what happens today (or whenever).

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Well, I know that someone out there is checking this blog all day to see if there is news so I'll tell you what I have so far. I did hear some news, but I don't know how accurate it is. The phone connection was evidently bad with the U.S. director and she couldn't make out everything our Haitian processor was trying to tell her. I should hear more this evening. One thing I do know is that she did NOT sign. She wants to meet with me again. That's either two trips to Haiti or staying there for a week. And I would certainly hope that if I go down there that she wouldn't change her mind. Legally, I can walk into the orphanage and pick up my daughter and take her anywhere but the U.S. She has a passport. But the wording of the Haitian documents makes it so that she really can still change her mind. It's been two years. My heart is racing a bit and I have to figure out my options at this point.

I'll post more when I have a more accurate picture of what is going on. Argh.

Just in case anyone is around, I thought I'd remind you to pray! Our birthmom may actually be at the Consulate (or wherever they're going these days) right now! I probably won't know anything for a while, but I will post as soon as I can.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Woo hoo!!!Yippee!!!We got some GOOD news!!!Janae has a passport!!! Can you tell how I feel about that??? We weren't expecting it so soon, but that's okay. :)

Now we are just praying for a good day Wednesday. Our birthmom has her appointment at 11:30 am. As far as we know, that is our LAST BIG HURDLE. Who knows what the U.S. government might throw at us, but we're hoping they will be merciful. Janae could be here VERY SOON!!!

You'd think after two years, we'd be ready. NOT! In fact, we are so UNready, it's silly. I have a few clothes for her (I had to put away all the summer stuff) and I know we have food that she'll eat. I believe the diapers I had in June will still fit, too (unless she's gained a good 10 lbs.). So maybe we're okay. We had planned to get the bedroom painted and re-carpeted, but that's been slow going. It will have to get done soon, but maybe it can wait until she's home (like we'll have ANY time then). Isaiah is SOOOOO ready to have his sister home (he thinks). I can't wait to see if his fantasy comes close to reality. We've talked about all the different possibilities of siblingness as we could think of, but I'm sure the two of them will throw us a curve ball or two. Can't wait.

So, if you think of us on Wednesday, there might be a reason. Just pray. And then pray a little bit more. I'll let everyone know as soon as I know. Really, I will.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Okay, so I'm not really good at keeping a blog updated. I think we can all agree on that now. :D Let's just say I didn't really feel very "chatty". I know that is so hard for some of you to believe, but it's true.

I finally have some news regarding our adoption. Our processor got us an extension (it seems they weren't doing those in June, but they are now) on our U.S. paperwork so we're still okay there. We just heard that we have Ministry of Interior approval, so all we have left is to have Janae's passport printed on the Haitian side of things. This is HUGE! Then one of our last major hurdles is Janae's birthmom's interview with the U.S. Consulate. It's scheduled for October 10th at 11:30 am. Please pray that she shows up. She missed several opportunities in June (see blog entries below), but it sounds like she's planning to go this time. We will waiting by the phone next Wednesday evening (even though we may not hear anything for days). I will do my best to post, so please don't call asking about it. :)

In other news, our beloved dog, Jake, died of anaplasmosis (a tick-borne illness) on August 15th. When you've had a friend for over 10 years, it's really hard to say goodbye. We miss him terribly. Since we couldn't stand the house being a wag-free and fur-free zone for long, we adopted a mostly Australian Shepard named Zinzy on September 11th. She was sick when we first got her home so we thought she was a quiet little thing. Apparently we were wrong. ;) She has found her voice once more and like to direct it in my direction on a regular basis. She's a goofy looking thing (one blue eye, one brown eye, one ear that stands up, one that's bent over, etc.) but she's a lot of fun. She's about 9 months old and is full of bounce. Her favorite hobby is catching grasshoppers and playing with them.

So stayed tuned. It could get exciting around here very quickly. Bryan is telling everyone three weeks to two months (you never know where the next road block could come from), but right now it's looking like Janae will be home for Christmas.YEA!!!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Our birthmom didn't show again today and our paperwork expired at 5 pm. It wasn't a priority for her to show up. She thinks she should be done by now. She's right, of course. It's been almost 18 months since our paperwork got to Haiti. At least she hasn't changed her mind. We just have to convince her to go to her appointment. I'm writing her a letter with photos attached tonight and emailing it down to the orphanage. They are going to use it to try to get her to come in. She really wanted photos.

On another downer, I found out that the US Immigration office JUST RECENTLY raised their fees. Argh. Tell me that anyone else thinks it's fair that we have to pay another $600 for them to put a few new pieces of paper in our file and fax them to Haiti. Truly, I will be advocating for adoption reform when this is over. For now, I need to concentrate my efforts on my daughter.

I'd still love to have a few prayers. It's going to be a while before Janae comes home now. Please pray that our paperwork moves in record time and that our birthmom decides that she can spend a bit of time to get this finished.

Just in case anyone is checking the blog today, please pray. Our paperwork expires at the end of the day. Janae's birthmom needs to have her interview today or we will need to re-file our paperwork. That will add months on to our process and will cost an extra $600 (I just found out the fees have been raised). We will persevere no matter what happens today, but it would be so much easier to have this part of the process finished. Then we could just wait for Janae's passport to be printed and bring her home.

Friday, June 15, 2007

I didn't feel like posting last night. Our birthmom didn't show. Our processor called and talked to her sister and told her that our paperwork is expiring on Monday. For the first time since we started this process almost a year and a half ago, I got scared. It isn't about the timing. If the paperwork expires, we'll deal with that. But if the birthmom decides she doesn't want us adopting Janae (wow, that was hard to type), she still has that option. The wording on the Haitian court documents makes it so that birthparents can evidently change their minds. The US government is trying to change that, but it might be too late for us. I don't know. I'm so afraid I made a bad impression on Adline. Haitians can be very hard to read. I have no idea how she feels about me. Now that she's missed two appointments, I really have to wonder.

Okay, so you've now just witnessed my human side. Today I feel frail and helpless. I worried last night about how I would tell Isaiah if things went badly. But today is a new day. I'm going to hold on to my "adoption verse" with both hands. Here it is:

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So I'm asking anyone who is reading this to please pray today. Ask for God's will in all of our lives - ours, Adline's, Janae's. Then whatever happens, happens. And we will move forward, praising God either way. Years ago I told God that I trusted Him. I need to keep trusting. He has taken such good care of us when I let Him lead.

I will do my best to update again tonight. Thanks for praying with us!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Lots of stuff happened today, but not what we expected. I got the go-ahead from the head US guy in Haiti to submit copies of our paperwork for the review so that was good.

Our birthmom didn't get to the appointment today because there is a transportation strike in Port-au-Prince (protesting rising gas prices - they are a LOT higher than here). On an upnote, our processor called USCIS (Immigration) and they are WELL AWARE of our time constraints and offered our birthmom another chancetomorrow (usually it takes at least a week to get an appointment). Evidently the guy in charge knows about us (could be the email I sent to him) and that is helping our cause. I had to go Fed Ex paperwork that was missing from our file today, too. We also scanned and emailed copies. Thank God for the internet!

We're still in the race against the clock, but at least we're still in the race. Keep those prayers a comin'! :)

Just a quick note to remind my friends and family to pray for Janae's birthmom today. She has her US Immigration interview today. If they believe that she really is Janae's birthmom and her story of why she is having to give her up for adoption, all will be well. If not, they may require DNA testing to prove that she is Janae's birthmom. They may also require other documents.

So, today we are praying for these things:

*That God would be present in the details of the day

*For peace for Adline that she is making a good decision for her daughter

*That she would show up for the interview

*That no DNA or other documentation would be required

*That USCIS would believe her and all would go well

I woke up this morning thinking about Adline. She is a beautiful girl. Stunning actually. When we met, one of the things she was worried about was that we wouldn't tell Janae about her. I told her that I would tell Janae everything I know about her. We are planning to stay in touch through the orphanage. I wish I could've done the same thing for our son's birthmom, but I've always had the impression that she didn't want to meet us. We tried.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Just a quick update today:

I have it on good authority that the US government MIGHT accept a copy of our dossier and temporarily approve our paperwork until the originals are made available again after we get Janae's passport. They've done it before. It would save us time and a lot of money. Janae will still be stuck for a bit, but there are people working on that problem, too. Lots of kids are stuck.

So today we are praying that the official in charge would have mercy on us and accept what we currently have. We are also praying for Adline, Janae's birthmom, to show up at her US Immigration interview tomorrow. I don't know the time. We are hoping the the government doesn't require DNA testing to verify that she is Janae's birthmom. Please also pray for her heart. This cannot be an easy thing for her to do. She visits Janae every two weeks at the orphanage.

Thank you so much for all the love and concern that has been showered on us these past months. It helps immensely!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

It seems that I don't like posting on my blog. I haven't figured out why though. :)

A lot has happened since my last post. I might have to post in chunks since I don't think I have the stamina to put it all down at once (I broke my elbow last year and typing still hurts). So bear with me. Please.

First things first. I was in Haiti last week and got to know my daughter. It was great. I also got to see all the kids at the orphanage. I was sad that so many of them were still there from last year, but many are almost ready to go to their new homes. Janae Barbara is one of them. We are awaiting her Haitian passport and US Immigration. But we are in a bit of a crunch. Our US paperwork expires (only good for 18 months) on Monday, June 18th. If we cannot provide them with the paperwork they require they will close our case until we refile and pay a fee of $545. That will take several more months. We need that Haitian passport. If we have that, we can likely get things finished up. The likelihood of that happening without an act of God is VERY slight. So, with that in mind...

PRAYER REQUEST:Please pray that God would have great mercy on us and get our passport through very quickly. This is a mountain, but God is SOOOO much bigger than this. If it is His will, He can do it in a split second. Also, Janae's birthmom is supposed to have her interview on Wednesday, June 13th. I met her last week. I'm hoping I made a good enough impression that she is willing to continue this process. Even though Janae is legally ours in Haiti, her birthmom could still disrupt everything. We pray that she has peace about all this.

I will do my utmost to update this blog daily during the upcoming week. I know how much we all like to keep up with the things we are praying for.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

On Monday, March 26th, 2007, our dossier for the adoption of our daughter in Haiti MOVED another step forward. No, this doesn't mean I can go get her, but it does mean that we are still moving forward. I hadn't written anything here for a while because I was so sure I would have news at any time and I wanted to wait. Silly me. :)

I was beginning to feel really down about the whole process of adopting. Waiting is difficult. I'm usually pretty patient, but I kept getting my hopes up for news and they kept getting dashed. I know I won't hear anything again for a while now, so I'll be okay for at least the next month. After that, all bets are off. But I am finally doing something to help me in the wait. I'm hoping to go to Haiti in June to get to know my daughter before she comes home. I haven't seen her since July of last year. She doesn't look like the baby I played with last July. The photos I get of her now look so grown up by comparison. While I'm there I'm planning to file my US Immigration paperwork as well. It would take so much longer to do that if I filed in Minnesota. I don't know how I'll afford going on two trips to Haiti (I'll have to go back and get her), but God has provided so far, so I'll trust Him in this, too.

So, we still covet your prayers as the saga continues. I'll let everyone know when we move again!

Thursday, March 08, 2007

I keep forgetting my account name and how to get where I want to go in the program that powers this blog. One of these days I'm sure I'll get the hang of everything - especially if I show up on a more regular basis. :)

It's cloudy today and I'm missing my daughter. In case you don't know, we're in the process of adopting our second child from Haiti (Isaiah, our four year old, was our first). Her name is Janae Barbara and she just turned two. We are currently stuck in the Haitian court system. We thought we would be out by now, but it seems there is no end in sight. I'm getting a bit frustrated since the American side of our paperwork is due to expire in June and I really don't want to pay the government another $545 to renew it. I will, but I don't know from where the money is going to come. Perhaps its time to lobby Congress to change the length of time that the paperwork is valid to two years. It seems to be taking a lot of people that long to get their kids home from many countries these days. Our dossier has been in Haiti since January 2006, but we've been dreaming of Janae since long before that. I had the opportunity to meet Janae this past July and Bryan went in November. She's a really sweet little thing with a great smile and huge eyes (the photo is from early January). Isaiahcan hardly stand the wait for his little sister. He talks about her every day and what life might be like when she gets here.

"She might sit on me, Mom."

"Yes, she might. What do you think you would do if she did?"

"I think I might kiss her."

Smile.

So my prayer today is that we would finally move a little bit forward this week. A miracle would still bring her home inMay.